Tutorial: Megan’s 21st Springtime Birthday Makeup

Hello, Internet! It’s been awhile since I’ve done a proper tutorial, and I’ve got to say that the troubleshooting that went into planning and executing this post was more than enough well…trouble. I’m not sure if any of you know this, but April is my birthday month and last year I did a post which showcased my growth in both makeup and as a human within the year. I had planned on doing the same thing this time around, but scheduling became a nightmare and I had to put this up a little early. Due to that, I was very unprepared for the type of look that I wanted to create and settled for this little experiment instead. On top of that, lighting was not in my favor, but if there’s one lesson I’ve learned this year it’s that you’ve gotta roll with the punches.

Life is far from easy and my 20th year has been the most challenging one yet. The all too familiar Taylor Swift lyrics pretty much sum it up, “We’re happy, free, confused, and lonely in the best way. It’s miserable and magical.”Although I’ve still got a year and a bit to go until I’m 22, the sentiment remains the same. This year has been a roller coaster of ups and downs, and if this tutorial doesn’t exemplify that enough, then I don’t know what does.

I’ve switched up my foundation routine a bit and have been applying my Collection Concealer liberously under my eyes right away and then immediately setting it with a mixture of the Banana and Vanilla powders from the Anastasia Contour Kit and also doing a bit of highlighting on the chin and forehead. After, I also immediately set my entire face with my Tarte Smooth Operator translucent powder. This whole process makes my foundation last way longer.

Ignore this shot, because somehow I forgot to take a picture of me actually contouring. I carve out my cheeks with a mixture of Java and Fawn from the Anastasia Kit and then blend it out with my Too Faced Dark Chocolate Soliel bronzer, which I also apply to my temples and forehead. I like to get this done early so that I can have time to bake.

Baking has become my new obsession! It really carves out my cheeks and makes my contour last as long as possible. I like using this Maybelline Master Fix translucent powder since I can use it very liberally and not have to worry about wasting my higher end powders. The pointed end of the Real Techniques sponge is perfect for packing powder right under the cheeks.

While I let the powder bake, I move on to the eyes. To start the look, I primed with my Urban Decay Primer Potion and then used the neutral shade Free Spirit in the Tartelette palette just to get the lid ready for blending.

A white cream base in a pot will probably work better than this, but I just used what I had on hand. (Improvisation— the most useful thing you’ll learn in college and will never be able to put on a resume.) Instead, I used this little detail stylus brush from Real Techniques and the NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk to create a wing.

Then, choose a color palette for your gradient. I suggest picking 3 colors next to one another on the color wheel and make sure you have 2 shades that can transition between them in your collection. Also be sure that they all have the same undertone. I chose a pastel palette ranging from green to purple, all with a blue undertone. Then, taking a tiny little lip brush, I packed the colors in sequential order in sections along the wing. Starting with the inner corner I applied, Makeup Geek Foiled Shadow in Fantasy, then Stila Aquamarine from the Mind palette, MUG Pegasus, MUG Daydreamer, MUG Masquerade. The final shadow I used for highlighting the brow bone was MUG In the Spotlight.

To finish off the eyes, I applied copious amounts of the NYX Crystal Silver glitter liner to make it appear as if I was crying sparkles, because it’s much better than the actual tears I cry when I think about my student loan debt. The glitter lined all along the lower lashline, under the wing, and in the inner corner as a bit of a highlight.

Another important lesson I’ve learned: the importance of brows. I mean, I knew it before but now I feel naked without them. So, even though I ran out of my usual brow products, I made do with the oldie but goodie Sonia Kashuk Arch Alert palette and then topped it off with a bit of the shade Multi-Tasker and Power Player from the Tartelette palette and the Anastasia Clear Brow Gel.

Lately, I’ve been loving a sharply defined cheek so I like to use a neutral blush that almost blends in with my contour, but still adds color to the cheeks. Here I applied the shade Prim from my Tarte Blush palette.

My 20th year was also the one where I embraced the highlight, but I brought out an old favorite MAC Soft & Gentle. I bathed myself from temple, to nose, to cupid’s bow.

Alright beauty babes, that’s a wrap on this tutorial! Sorry it didn’t really go as planned, but when does life really?

I know I’m young, but my 20th year has honestly brought me a plethora of lessons. I’ve made some of the most difficult decisions yet, taken the most risks, and grown in more ways than I thought possible.

As I started this year of my life, I reflected a lot on no longer being a teenager and “growing up a bit”. While it’s great that I’ve become better about my finances and have worked for more professional goals, I will say that I wish I had had more fun. Life is too short not to have fun; you can’t take it so seriously. So wear the glitter, embrace color, and laugh more. Walt Disney said it best, “Growing old is mandatory. Growing up is optional.” Appropriately, I will be celebrating my birthday in Disneyland so watch out for a vlog 😉

Nonetheless, I’m nowhere near being a “real adult”. Adulting is hard stuff man, I don’t know if I’ll ever get the hang of it. I wonder if the secret will be bestowed on me when I take a sip from my first legal drink and I finally am allowed to do everything that I wasn’t allowed to do before. Or maybe the secret is that there is no secret; you have to just take life as it comes and work with it.

Either way, I’m thankful that I’ve gotten the opportunity to share some of my insights with you. I hope that you enjoyed this unique combination of makeup and quarter-life crisis ramblings. Leave me any suggestions for 21st birthday drinks below! As always, thanks for reading and here’s to another year! Cheers!